Effects of Crew Resource Management Training on the Team Performance of Operators in an Advanced Nuclear Power Plant

The objectives of the study are twofold: the development of a CRM training program appropriate to Korean NPPs and the evaluation of CRM training effectiveness. Firstly, the CRM program was developed with a focus on nontechnical skills--such as leadership, situational awareness, teamwork, and communication--which have been widely known to be critical for improving operational performance. Secondly, the effectiveness tests were conducted for two different crews of operators, performing six different emergency operation scenarios during a four-week period. All the crews (crews A and B) participated in the training program for the technical knowledge and skills, which were required to operate the simulator of the MCR during the first week. However, for the verification of the effectiveness of the CRM training program, only crew A was randomly selected to attend the CRM training after the technical knowledge and skills training. The results of the experiments showed that the CRM training program improved the individual attitudes of crew A with a statistical significance. The team skills of crew A were found to be significantly more advanced than those of crew B. However, the CRM training did not have a positive effect on enhancing the individual performance of crew A, as compared with that of crew B.